{"id":6607,"date":"2025-05-13T22:23:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T22:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/13\/elon-musks-starlink-expands-to-saudi-arabia-amid-trumps-mideast-tour\/"},"modified":"2025-05-13T22:23:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T22:23:35","slug":"elon-musks-starlink-expands-to-saudi-arabia-amid-trumps-mideast-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/13\/elon-musks-starlink-expands-to-saudi-arabia-amid-trumps-mideast-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Elon Musk\u2019s Starlink Expands to Saudi Arabia Amid Trump\u2019s Mideast Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Elon Musk attends a \u201ccoffee ceremony\u201d while visiting U.S. President Donald Trump at the Saudi Royal Court on May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Win McNamee\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Starlink, <\/span>the <\/span>satellite <\/span>internet <\/span>venture <\/span>run <\/span>by <\/span>Elon <\/span>Musk\u2019s <\/span>SpaceX<\/a>, <\/span>already <\/span>operates <\/span>the <\/span>world\u2019s <\/span>largest <\/span>constellation <\/span>with <\/span>more <\/span>than <\/span>7,000 <\/span>satellites <\/span>in <\/span>low-<\/span>Earth <\/span>orbit. <\/span>Now, <\/span>the <\/span>service <\/span>is <\/span>expanding <\/span>its <\/span>global <\/span>reach <\/span>even <\/span>further, <\/span>having <\/span>recently <\/span>secured <\/span>approvals <\/span>in <\/span>countries <\/span>such <\/span>as Vietnam<\/a>, the Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/a> <\/span>and, <\/span>as <\/span>Musk <\/span>announced <\/span>today (<\/span>May <\/span>13), <\/span>Saudi <\/span>Arabia.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/section>\n

\u201c<\/span>I\u2019d <\/span>also <\/span>like <\/span>to <\/span>thank <\/span>the <\/span>kingdom <\/span>for <\/span>approving <\/span>Starlink <\/span>for <\/span>maritime <\/span>and <\/span>aviation <\/span>use,\u201d <\/span>Musk <\/span>said while speaking<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>at <\/span>the <\/span>Saudi-<\/span>US <\/span>Investment <\/span>Forum <\/span>in <\/span>Riyadh. <\/span>He <\/span>did <\/span>not <\/span>provide <\/span>a <\/span>timeline <\/span>for <\/span>when <\/span>Starlink <\/span>service <\/span>would <\/span>begin <\/span>in <\/span>Saudi <\/span>Arabia <\/span>or <\/span>whether <\/span>it <\/span>would <\/span>extend <\/span>to <\/span>residential <\/span>users. <\/span>The <\/span>service <\/span>is <\/span>currently <\/span>available <\/span>in <\/span>over <\/span>125 <\/span>countries, <\/span>including <\/span>nearby <\/span>nations <\/span>like <\/span>Qatar <\/span>and <\/span>Jordan.<\/span><\/p>\n

Musk is one of the\u00a0<\/span>prominent <\/span>tech <\/span>leaders accompanying President Donald Trump<\/a> in Riyadh this week as part of his Middle East visit. Other attendees at the event include<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>OpenAI<\/a> CEO <\/span>Sam <\/span>Altman, <\/span>Amazon<\/a>\u2019s <\/span>Andy <\/span>Jassy <\/span>and <\/span>Nvidia<\/a>\u2019s <\/span>Jensen <\/span>Huang.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Musk <\/span>also <\/span>used <\/span>the <\/span>forum <\/span>to <\/span>promote <\/span>several <\/span>of <\/span>his <\/span>other <\/span>ventures <\/span>to <\/span>Saudi <\/span>officials <\/span>and <\/span>investors, <\/span>including <\/span>his <\/span>tunneling <\/span>company, <\/span>The <\/span>Boring <\/span>Company, <\/span>and <\/span>his <\/span>A.<\/span>I. <\/span>startup, <\/span>xAI<\/a>. <\/span>He also <\/span>said <\/span>that <\/span>Tesla<\/a>\u2019s <\/span>autonomous <\/span>robotaxis <\/span>will <\/span>eventually <\/span>operate <\/span>in Saudi Arabia without sharing any details.<\/span>\u00a0\u201c<\/span>I <\/span>think <\/span>it <\/span>would <\/span>be <\/span>very <\/span>exciting <\/span>to <\/span>have <\/span>autonomous <\/span>vehicles <\/span>here <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>kingdom, <\/span>if <\/span>you\u2019re <\/span>amenable,\u201d <\/span>Musk <\/span>said, <\/span>describing <\/span>the <\/span>vehicles <\/span>as \u201c<\/span>robots <\/span>on <\/span>four <\/span>wheels.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tesla <\/span>has <\/span>increasingly <\/span>shifted <\/span>its <\/span>focus <\/span>toward <\/span>robotics <\/span>and <\/span>autonomous <\/span>technology <\/span>in <\/span>recent <\/span>years. <\/span>Musk <\/span>said <\/span>he <\/span>recently <\/span>demonstrated <\/span>the <\/span>company\u2019s <\/span>Optimus <\/span>humanoid <\/span>robots <\/span>to <\/span>both <\/span>President <\/span>Donald <\/span>Trump <\/span>and <\/span>Saudi <\/span>Crown <\/span>Prince <\/span>Mohammed <\/span>bin <\/span>Salman, <\/span>and <\/span>predicted <\/span>the <\/span>future <\/span>deployment <\/span>of \u201c<\/span>tens <\/span>of <\/span>billions\u201d <\/span>of <\/span>such <\/span>robots.<\/span><\/p>\n

According <\/span>to <\/span>Musk, <\/span>the <\/span>rise <\/span>of <\/span>humanoid <\/span>robots <\/span>could <\/span>drive <\/span>a <\/span>dramatic <\/span>expansion <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>global <\/span>economy\u2014<\/span>potentially <\/span>growing <\/span>it <\/span>tenfold\u2014<\/span>by <\/span>vastly <\/span>increasing <\/span>productivity. <\/span>He <\/span>envisioned <\/span>a <\/span>world <\/span>shaped <\/span>by \u201c<\/span>universal <\/span>high <\/span>income,\u201d <\/span>where <\/span>abundant <\/span>goods <\/span>and <\/span>services <\/span>are <\/span>widely <\/span>accessible. \u201c<\/span>Once <\/span>you <\/span>have <\/span>humanoid <\/span>robots,\u201d <\/span>he <\/span>said, \u201c<\/span>the <\/span>actual <\/span>economic <\/span>output <\/span>potential <\/span>is <\/span>tremendous\u2014<\/span>it\u2019s <\/span>really <\/span>unlimited.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Musk recently said he would step away from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and devote more attention to Tesla, <\/a>which experienced slowing sales and stock selloffs in recent months.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Elon<\/p><\/div>\n